RFT-RUSSIAN FRONT

TAHGC CATALOG VERBAGE: The result of another major advance
in the state of the art; an innovative treatment of strategic level game
of warfare on the Eastern Front of WWII.

GAME BOX VERBAGE: Russian Front is a game that re-creates
the ebb and flow of the largest, longest, and most costly military campaign
of World War II. The game covers the vast theater of operations and the
massive forces employed by the Soviet Union and by Nazi Germany and her
allies.

YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): 1985. An unofficial
WGA 3rd (amplified) edition (2009), with errata corrections, additional
optional rules and other clarifications by the top rated players is available
(440kb, pdf).

The WGA Java application VASSAL
module for Russian Front is a benchmark module. Signup as a player on
the VASSAL page under Russian
Front Module. A WGA PBEM tournament is anticipated using a tournament
scenario yet to be defined.

There are two major rule controversies that impact organized play;
segmenting the player base.

PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame
Academy if interested as a tournament scenario is being defined and
a PBEM tournament is planned. A Boardgamer Player Association PBEM tournament
can be organized by WGA pending suitable interest using Vassal.

WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: Plan for about 20+ hours for
the campaign game. Very interesting impulse movement game allows the defender
reaction movement and where battles take place in a hex negating units ZOC.
This results in a front more fluid that that of other games such as THE
RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN where fronts are created by interlocking zones of control.
RFT is described as a game of 'holes'. Air and Naval battle mechanics illustrate
the importance of these support units. As such the non-phasing player has
decisions to make during the phasing players movement phase making remote
play a bit more challenging. In most cases reaction movement is not use
until the end of the phasing players turn. Both player allocate air and
naval during both player turns. The game also uses hit points for multiple
combat rounds. 'Damaged' units retain their offensive capability but become
more brittle. Eliminated units are more expensive to replace than removing
hits through replacement points. An expanded map/rules version is in design
by Marty Roeckler et al. Overall, a very elegant and playable game system;
one of my favorite small box Eastern Theater simulations.

WARGAME ACADEMY GAME TOOLS: Multiple game play copy (one
unpunched), softcopy rulebooks, complete game editable multilayer map, Order
of Battles, Counter library and charts in MS Word. And of course the Vassal
module which is the template for score+ WGA vassal modules which followed.
.